Through the Flames
by sugarmonkey778
Summary: The team has hit a wall in a serial murder/arson case. With a child's life on the line Reid finds himself in a deadly situation.


**_OK, first Criminal Minds fanfic, just a little oneshot that popped into my head and forced its way out onto the page. I'm sorry if there are bad typos cause I tried to proof read but I always miss some. So read and enjoy!_**

"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." –Ferdinand Foch

It was the worst kind of case. Kids, why did it have to be kids?

 **Downtown, Rochester, New York.**

The team had been called in by the local PD to investigate the kidnappings and murders of four children between the ages of five and seven. They had profiled that the Unsub was taking children with divorced parents, probably reflective of his own marital status. They realized he must have lost a child around the same age as the victims, probably in a fire, and was now recreating that event. Still they were missing something and since being called in a fifth child had been taken and the clock was ticking. Each child was missing for two days before their remains were located in a burning, abandoned building.

The latest victim was six year old Miranda Gilroy who had been snatched from a playground in broad daylight. Now they were nearly at the forty eight hour mark and they still had no leads.

Hotch and Rossi were standing at the far end of the room, which had been setup for their use at the local police department, talking quietly. Morgan and JJ had gone out with some of the uniformed officers to re-canvas the eight block radius they had profiled to be the Unsub's comfort zone. Blake sat in a chair by the board on which hung a color coded map that Reid was studying feverishly.

"Reid, I think you should sit down for a minute. You're wearing me out just watching you" she stated. He ignored her statement and continued staring at the map, his eyes darting this way and that. "C'mon, you're not going to find this girl by overanalyzing a map" she tried again.

"We're running out of time. And I can't think of what else I can do to save that little girl" Reid finally answered without tearing his eyes away.

"Maybe you should take a break then. Go get some coffee, let your mind settle and come back fresh" she suggested. He finally looked over at her, taking in the concern on her face. With a sigh, he nodded and set the marker, he had been gripping for the past five minutes, down.

"All right. I'll go on a coffee run. No offense to the Rochester Police Department but that," he pointed to the now cold mug on the table, "is not coffee."

Blake smiled at his remark. "Could you grab me one too?"

"Sure" he replied. Then he grabbed his messenger bag and left the room, pausing to tell Hotch and Rossi where he was going and asking if they wanted anything.

Spencer walked down the street, towards the little coffee shop he had seen the day they had arrived. It was mid May and the weather was nicer than expected for New York. There were some rays of sunshine peaking around the light, fluffy clouds high in the sky. Although he would never admit it, especially not to Alex, he had needed to get out of that cramped and stuffy room. And as he entered the coffee shop he realized immediately how badly he had needed his java fix.

He got in line behind an elderly couple who were speaking to each other rather loudly, clearly in need of new hearing aids.

"All I am saying, Ethel, is this city has really gone downhill. When I was young there were far less murders and gang-bangers in the city. It was a _nice_ place to live!" the old man was saying.

"Oh Jim, you sound like an old man!" Ethel replied.

"No, no, no, Ethel, I am telling you, back in the day there was less traffic, less crime, and not nearly so many filthy abandoned buildings. And all that graffiti. Did you see that vulgar phrase written on the building off Elmwood? It is just not like it used to be" he said shaking his head.

Something clicked in Spencer's head and he turned and rushed out of the shop.

Spencer ran the five blocks to the last disposal site. The red brick building loomed above him, accented by the black char marks and yellow crime scene tape. He studied the building's façade, which was covered in graffiti.

He reached into his satchel, grabbed his phone and dialed Morgan's number.

"What's up, kid?"Morgan voice came clearly through the speaker.

"Graffiti, Morgan!" Reid shouted excitedly.

"What? What about graffiti?" came his reply.

"The Unsub tagged the building where the fourth victim was dumped" Spencer explained.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked. He held his hand up to JJ who was giving him a questioning look.

"I thought about it, something just didn't fit. But then I went to get coffee and there was this old couple arguing and the man said there was graffiti!" the young genius said hurriedly.

"Reid, I'm still not getting it. How do you know the Unsub tagged the building? And how does that help us?"

"The graffiti will lead us right to him, it has to." Spencer's voice dipped at the end of the statement. Clearly he was having trouble believing his own words.

"C'mon, kid. You're grasping at straws here" Morgan told him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Maybe you're right."

"I am. Go get a cup of coffee and look over the profile again. We'll figure it out."

"I can't just get a cup of coffee when there is a little girl out there terrified and alone. I know that feeling, Morgan. At least I knew that you guys were looking for me. She doesn't know that" Reid explained.

"It's gonna be OK. We'll find her and you can help her to see that she was never alone. It's OK, Kid" Morgan said soothingly.

"All right" the genius said. On the other end Morgan chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just remembering your evil twins theory" Derek said.

"You mean eviler twin? I still believe that was a sound theory" Reid replied defensively.

"Come on, Kid. Eviler twin? It's never eviler twin" the other man said.

"One day it will be. Just you wait, and we'll see who has the last laugh" Spencer answered.

"Whatever you say, Genius."

Reid smiled and opened his mouth to say something but paused when he heard a strange noise.

"Wait" he said quietly.

"What?" Morgan asked.

"I thought I heard something… wait."

"Reid, what is it?"

"I think it's… crying." Spencer walked across the street to the building opposite him. He strained to listen until he heard the unmistakable sound of a little girl crying. "It is. Someone is crying in there."

"In where? Where do you hear the crying?" Morgan questioned.

"The building directly across the street from the last dumpsite. There is definitely someone crying. I'm gonna check it out" Reid explained.

"No, Reid, wait for backup" the older agent instructed.

"I can't. I can't wait for backup. If the Unsub is in there with Miranda he's about to kill her. She doesn't have time for me to wait for backup. Call Hotch, tell him where I am" the young genius instructed before hanging up. He pulled his revolver and entered the building.

"Reid!" Morgan shouted into the dead line. "Dammit. JJ, we gotta go. Call Hotch tell him to call in everyone. EMS, Fire Rescue, squad cars, the whole nine." JJ nodded and pulled out her phone as she followed Morgan to the SUV.

Spencer moved cautiously down the empty hallway, checking an open doorway as he passed. Clearing the first room he continued deeper into the building. When he got to the second door he heard the crying clearly.

"Shut up!" a male voice shouted. The little voice quieted to a whimper. Spencer could hear someone walking around the room. He took a steadying breath then rushed into the room.

"FBI, put your hands where I can see them!" The Unsub turned at the sound of Reid's voice and became visibly angered. In the middle of the room Miranda was curled in a ball quietly crying.

"What are you doing here? You're going to ruin everything!" the man shouted. He reached into his pants pocket.

"Put your hands up or I will shoot you" Reid instructed. The man chuckled humorlessly.

"Smell that? That's two gallons of gasoline. You fire that thing and we all die" the Unsub explained. Reid cursed internally then decided on a new course of action. Stalling.

"All right, I'm putting my weapon away. Let's talk." He slowly returned the pistol to its holster and held his hands out defensively. "My name is Spencer, what's yours?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Just calm down. Now if we're going to discuss this I would like to know what to call you, that's all" the young genius explained. The man shifted uncomfortably then nodded.

"Tom. You can call me Tom" he answered.

"It's very nice to meet you Tom" Spencer said. "Tom, would you mind letting Miranda go outside? These fumes are dangerous for her to breathe."

"No! She can't leave. It's not safe" Tom said.

"I know you're concerned about her, about all of the other children as well" Reid stated.

"I'm the only one who cares!" Tom shouted.

"That's true, but I'm here now, and I care. I care about Miranda and I care about you. I want to help you, Tom. The only way I can do that is if you and Miranda come outside with me."

"No, no. It's a trick. You don't care. They all say they care but they didn't save him!" He was clearly agitated now and fiddling with something in his pocket, which was making Reid nervous.

"Your son?" the agent questioned. "You lost your son, didn't you? In a fire?" Tom looked u at Reid, as if for the first time, and nodded eagerly.

"Bobby was six. No one cared, especially not that bitch" he spat.

"You're ex-wife?"

"Dana. All she cared about was milking our divorce. She blew the child support on cigarettes and booze. Never really cared about Bobby" Tom explained angrily.

"It's her fault, isn't it? The fire?" Reid probed.

"She left a candle lit, to mask the cigarette smell. It was right under his room." Tears began to fall from his eyes. "I saved those other kids. Their parent's didn't care. No one can hurt them now."

"You did, you absolutely did. But you don't have to save Miranda. I can do that, let me do that." Spencer moved into the room closer to the crying child.

"No!" Tom shouted pulling out a Zippo lighter from his pocket. Reid froze and put his hands up again.

"Tom, you know you can't get out of here, if you light that you'll die. Then who will tell Bobby's story?" The other man had a pained expression on his face and looked from Reid's face to the floor.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm just so tired." He opened the lighter.

"Come with me and I can help you. You'll be able to rest, I promise." Reid could hear the sirens approaching and wished they would get there already. "Just give me the lighter."

Tom continued to stare at the floor for another moment then looked up at the agent, his expression blank. "I'm sorry." The next thing he knew the room was surrounded in flames and Tom was engulfed.

Miranda began screaming and Reid rushed forward to grab her into his arms. He held her tightly against his chest as he scanned the room for a way out. The perimeter of the room was covered in bright orange flames and the only exit was blocked.

Spencer tried to calm the terrified child in his arms and keep his own fear in check. " _This is it. I'm going to die, but the worst part is that I'll fail this innocent child"_ He thought. He closed his eyes as he was hit by a coughing fit. _"Between fifty and eighty percent of deaths in a fire are from smoke inhalation. Man that is annoying, I understand why the team gets mad at me so much."_

There was a loud crash as part of the roof collapsed. Reid looked over to the destruction and was startled when he saw a woman walking off. He got up, still holding the child to his chest.

"Wait! Miss?" he called out then rushed over to the collapsed section. The crash had opened a hole in the wall which led to a small fire free area. Without a moment of hesitation he carefully but quickly climbed over the rubble.

Once out of immediate danger he turned this way and that to find where to go. Soon he caught a glimpse of the same woman walking around a corner. The fire was fast spreading and he wondered who this woman was and how she had gotten in. From what he could see of her she was no older than him with shoulder length brown hair.

"Miss, please wait. The building is on fire and it isn't safe!" He hurried around the corner and nearly ran smack into a wall. His confusion was evident as he studied the wall. He could hear the fire crackling and closing in behind him. He took a step back and heard a creak from beneath him. Under his foot was some sort of trap door made of steel.

He set Miranda down and looked her in the eye.

"I need to get this trap door open so just stay here for a minute, OK?" She nodded at him and sniffled then coughed.

He went to work getting the door open. There was a ladder that went about eight feet to a concrete floor so he had Miranda climb onto his back and hold on tight as they climbed down. As soon as the trap door was closed they were plunged into darkness.

Morgan pulled up to the building at the same time as Hotch. All five agents filed out of the SUVs and were horrified to find smoke billowing out of the building.

Hotch and Rossi had to grab Morgan as he tried to run into the building

"Reid is in there!" he shouted.

"It's not safe, Morgan. We have to wait for them to douse the fire" Hotch explained.

"He could be dead!" Morgan argued, still struggling against his friends and fellow agents.

"Getting yourself killed won't help him."

JJ covered her mouth with her hands and Blake stared in terror at the blazing building as the firefighters went to work.

It wasn't long before they had gotten control of the fire. Morgan had negotiated his way into the cleared area of the building.

They found the body of the Unsub very quickly but the longer they went without finding Reid or the child the more relieved and nervous they got.

"Agent, I got something over here!" a firefighter called after searching the rubble for nearly half an hour. Morgan rushed over to see the steel trap door that had been discovered.

"Can we get that opened?" he asked just barely containing his excitement. A second firefighter appeared with a crowbar. Morgan took it and pried the door open. The firefighter beside him turned on a flashlight and shined it into the hole.

The beam of light landed on two soot and ash covered faces, both with their eyes closed. Morgan's heart skipped a beat as he saw the pale, still face of his friend. Everyone held their breath until Reid's eyes fluttered open.

"M-Morgan?" he called weakly, wincing at the bright light. Morgan nearly cried with relief.

"Hey, kid. We're gonna get you two out of there. How's Miranda?"

"I think she's gonna be OK" Spencer replied. Morgan smiled and the called for some assistance.

About half an hour later, Spencer was sitting on the edge of the ambulance with a blanket around his shoulders and an oxygen mask over his face. Hotch was talking with the fire chief, JJ was behind the police barricade talking with the press, and Blake and Rossi were by the other ambulance with Miranda Gilroy's parents.

"How're you doing, kid?" Morgan asked after walking over to where his friend was sitting. Reid pulled the mask down so he could respond clearly.

"Not too bad, considering." He started coughing and held the mask back over his mouth.

"How did you find that trap door?" Derek asked. Reid's eyes went wide and he quickly removed the mask.

"There was a woman in there. I only got a glimpse of her but she led me to the trap door" he said before again having a coughing fit. "Did you find her? I don't even know how she got in there."

"Kid, there was no one else in the building but you, Miranda and the Unsub" Morgan responded after a few moments. Spencer's confusion was immediately evident.

"What? That… that isn't possible. I saw her. I know I did" he protested. Morgan shook his head.

"They cleared the building. All they found was a body in the second room and the two of you in the basement. All the exits were blocked by flames" the older agent explained. Reid looked down, his face betraying his thoughts. "Are you OK?"

"I-I don't know. Morgan, I swear that she was there, and… and…" He faltered and stopped. Morgan watched his friend fight to decide what to say, and reached out to comfort the younger man.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm here for you and I don't think you're crazy. If you say you saw a woman in there I believe you" he told him. Spencer looked up at his friend, his eyes shimmering with tears.

"It looked like Maeve" he said quietly after a few silent moments. Morgan understood immediately so he sat down beside the young genius.

"I know you still miss her. It's only been a year, so it makes sense that you would be thinking about her. You were in a life and death situation, and I know you don't necessarily believe in an afterlife, but it's nice to think that someone you love is looking out for you even when they're not here."

A single tear fell from Spencer's eye landing on his hands, which were gripping the fabric of his pants. "I haven't had a dream about her in a few weeks. I… I was afraid I was starting to forget her."

"I don't think that you are capable of forgetting anyone, especially not someone you cared about as much as her. All it means is that you're healing" Derek explained.

"Well then what would seeing her today mean?" Reid asked.

"Maybe it means she's your guardian angel. Whatever you saw in that building saved your and that little girl's lives and whether it was real or not I'm thankful for it." Morgan patted his friend on the back gently. "Now put that mask back on, you inhaled a lot of smoke in there" he instructed, going into big brother mode. "I'll see come see you at the hospital." Then he walked away leaving the younger man to his thoughts.

With a small smile, Spencer put the oxygen mask back on his face and allowed the paramedics to load him up in the ambulance.

"What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." –Helen Keller


End file.
